Volunteer speaks about time in migrant shelter

Editor's Note: The vest the volunteer wore is under the ownership of the Salvation Army and not the Red Cross. 

ORIGINAL STORY

There are about 30 volunteers helping the migrants being released into the Yuma community daily at the shelter some are being transported to. 

One of the volunteers inside is Rhonda Madison. She said she has been inside the shelter since day one. 

"I stepped into this big, empty room that was filled with Red Cross cots. It was very quiet that day and there was a lot of people there. That day, the first day, it was all moms and children. My heart was just so touched," described Madison. 

Madison said she pushed her political beliefs aside and opened her heart to hundreds of migrants she describes as grateful. 

She has even brought others in to help and described the instance when she brought one volunteer who washed clothes for hours. This is due to migrants arriving at the shelter with the clothes on their backs.

"I asked her why did you do it? Why did you continue to do that? She said, 'The reward for me was the smile on the face, watching somebody go from totally scared to have a smile to, to feeling a little more secure and she characterized it as the humane thing to do," said Madison.

She explained the migrants only stay for a few days before they head to their next destination. She reminisces on one time when she was tasked with transporting a group to the airport and was met with backlash. 

"I was wearing a Salvation Army disaster vest when I'm doing this. We're not mandated to, but I like to because all those people look at me like, she's a safe person," explained Madison. "Some people were very angry and they expressed that anger verbally to the point where I had a little bit of concern. I was very glad that nobody in my group spoke English that day."

Madison expressed that she agrees that there is an emergency in the Yuma community and it is time to step up and get involved. 

"Some of the comments I have seen is angry rhetoric. It's 'Send them back.' It's 'Go away. We don't want this in our town.' This is the opportunity for people or anybody in Yuma to step up to the plate and get involved," said Madison. 

Typically shifts for the volunteers last 12 hours but not all volunteers are mandated to work those shifts. Less than half of the volunteers speak Spanish, which is a challenge within the shelter.

The Salvation Army and Catholic community services are looking for more volunteers.